The Butcher of Hogsmeade

Sirius Black wanted to restore his brother's reputation, a request that surprised not only Dumbledore but also Shen Hou.

Although the two Black brothers did not get along well, before the trip to the cave, Sirius Black never had anything good to say about his younger brother, always describing him as "blindly obedient" and "cowardly." Even Regulus's obedient behavior in front of their parents was described by Sirius Black as "unable to distinguish right from wrong" and "submitting to ignorant traditions."

However, blood ties are ultimately unbreakable; once Sirius learns the truth that Regulus secretly fought against Voldemort and sacrificed himself as a result, he can't help but want to seek justice for his brother.

The saying goes, "Man leaves a name behind after death," a truth that holds true throughout history and across cultures. Regulus's reputation, however, is terrible. So terrible that even his brother Sirius, and even his parents, believe he was executed by internal strife for trying to leave the Death Eaters out of cowardice, which angered Voldemort.

He can't be a good person, and he doesn't dare to do bad things; he's caught between a rock and a hard place.

As for the Death Eaters themselves, Voldemort naturally knew he hadn't killed Regulus, but he certainly assumed Regulus had deserted out of fear. As for the other Death Eaters, probably none of them dared to confront Voldemort about the truth. Consequently, no one within the Death Eater organization had the interest or the courage to investigate the cause of Regulus's disappearance.

And so, a young man who was only eighteen years old and had not yet graduated, whose life journey had not even begun, ended up with no result in a daze.

Whether it's out of brotherly affection or recognition of Regulus's courage in fighting evil, Sirius's desire to restore Regulus's reputation is not hard to understand.

"Regulus Black deserves a fair assessment," Dumbledore said solemnly, "but not now."

"For secrecy?" Sirius asked.

"That was Regulus's greatest worry, wasn't it?" Dumbledore reminded him. "Voldemort might not care about an eighteen-year-old deserter, but he would certainly hate a traitor who tried to destroy his secret weapon ahead of time. Regulus's last concern was always his family; the Unwavering Loyalty Curse at Black's old house couldn't stop the Death Eaters, and Voldemort himself might not even know the address of Black's house."

Sirius remained silent for a long time before asking, "If not now, then when?"

The answer to this question was almost obvious, but Sirius wanted to hear it from Dumbledore himself.

"On the day the war is won, on the day Voldemort is defeated. Everyone present today, including Kreacher, will be a witness." Dumbledore went on to mention something Sirius hadn't said: "If Kreacher's description of Regulus's death is accurate, then your brother's body may still be beneath that pool; more likely, it may have been transformed into an Inferi by the pool's dark magic. In that case, we should not only restore his reputation, but also retrieve his body and give him a proper burial."

Shen Hou and Sirius sighed in unison upon hearing this, silently nodding in agreement; then Sirius suddenly asked, "What if the war drags on and we lose?"

Dumbledore laughed: "Then we need not worry about it, because all of us—all of Voldemort's opponents—will be branded as ignorant fools who dare to oppose the great and visionary Voldemort, traitors who betrayed the wizarding community, and lackeys who have sided with Muggles."

"Aha, now there's another reason not to lose." Sirius laughed heartily, his laughter tinged with bitterness.

Before parting, Dumbledore reiterated the principle of secrecy, stating that only James and the Prewitt brothers, who had also been to the cave, were allowed to know, and that the information should not be disseminated further.

"Once the news spreads and Voldemort learns that his secret weapon has been destroyed, he can easily create a new one; in that case, Regulus's death will have been in vain."

Upon hearing Dumbledore's instructions, Shen Hou suddenly had a thought: "If we treat 'Regrus taking the locket and destroying it' as a secret, could we use the Faithful Charm to hide this secret?"

"A brilliant idea, Mr. Shen," Dumbledore said approvingly. "Of course! The Faithful Charm always keeps secrets, not a particular place. Protecting safe houses and the personal safety of specific individuals is just one of the most direct and obvious uses of this charm. However, if a fact that has already occurred is to be hidden as a secret, the way that fact is stated must be carefully designed, and no loopholes must be left in the wording; this is no small test for a person who keeps secrets."

"I believe in you, Professor Dumbledore," Shen Hou said. "As the headmaster of Hogwarts, you must be familiar with administrative affairs; the ability to state a fact in dry, boring, but infallible language is a basic skill for administrative bureaucrats."

Dumbledore gave a wry smile: "Perhaps you have some misunderstanding about the position of Headmaster of Hogwarts."

"And you're also the chief magician of Wizengamo?"

"This position is actually..."

"By the way, you're also the president of the International Wizarding Federation; both of these positions inevitably involve 'opportunities' to accurately state certain matters, don't they?"

Dumbledore hesitated several times, realizing he couldn't find a reasonable reason to refute her.

"So, the responsibility of keeping this top secret is entrusted to you, Professor Dumbledore; once you have figured out an accurate and flawless way of stating it, immediately notify us insiders. Please be as quick as possible, you know, there are quite a few big mouths among us who can't even control themselves," Shen Hou said sincerely.

Sirius was furious: "When did I ever blabber?"

Shen Hou asked innocently, "When did I mention your name, Sirius?"

"You...you didn't...but you definitely wanted to!" Sirius stiffened his neck, rolled up his sleeves, and prepared to argue with Shen Hou, seemingly forgetting how depressed he had been earlier.

"You mean you used Legilimency on me?"

"So you admit you did think about it, right?"

"Gentlemen, be more mature!" Dumbledore felt a splitting headache and just wanted to leave as soon as possible. "Mr. Shen's suggestion is excellent. I will inform you all as soon as possible."

"Then it's settled, Professor. Goodbye, Professor, and... Sirius, see you tomorrow? It's late, I have to go to work tomorrow!" Having achieved his goal, Shen Hou impatiently gave the order to leave.